Mel Tucker Not Concerned With Outside Criticism

After his defense gives up 50+ points in two consecutive games, Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker says he doesn’t feel any pressure from angry fans. He feels the same pressure he puts on himself.

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Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker’s defense is bad for the second consecutive season. How bad? The Bears are the first team since 1923 to give up 50+ points in back-to-back seasons. In the last 93 years, the Bears gave up just five 50+ points. Under Tucker, they have done it THREE TIMES in their last 11 games.

The Bears now rank 26th in the NFL in total defense, 28th against the pass, and dead last in points allowed. And we thought this defense could not get worse than last year.

With all of that happening around him, Tucker says he doesn’t feel pressure from angry Bears fans with pitch forks. He says he feels pressure only from himself.

”I don’t feel any pressure other than what I put on myself, and that’s a lot of pressure.”

”I don’t feel any pressure other than what I put on myself, and that’s a lot of pressure.” -Mel Tucker

In the last three games, the Bears have been outscored 94-7. They gave up a franchise-record 38 points in the first half of the game against the New England Patriots, then had that record broken in their next game, when they gave up 42 points to the Green Bay Packers.

”Obviously we were not prepared enough and our effort and everything we do needs to be better,” Tucker said. ”There is nothing that was good enough and regardless if we thought we were ready going into the game, obviously we need to make sure we are even more ready going into this next game.”

Let’s take that statement and analyze it. Tucker is saying they were not prepared enough. How could that happen when that Green Bay game was a desperation game COMING OUT OF THE BYE?

The staple of the Bears franchise has always been the defense. This defense under Tucker is a national joke. We saw Sunday night that the announcers of the game were laughing at the Bears defense as much as Aaron Rodgers.

So far this season, the Bears defense has been scored upon 49 percent of the time. No matter how much the Bears offense is struggling, this team will not win when the opposition is scoring on half of their drives.

Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Tucker goes on to say that he has not felt any specific pressure from head coach Marc Trestman or GM Phil Emery, which, if true, is just mind-boggling.

Tucker has gotten support from some players. Lance Briggs says he believes in Tucker’s system. “I do believe in the system. And I believe in the guys that are in that room, that we all have in the room. And when I say those guys, it means my teammates and my coaches.”

Of course, Briggs has admitted that he’s tuned out the coaches at times, so how much should we believe what he says now? There were a couple of plays against the Packers where he did not seem to play full-out. I don’t think having Briggs support him is something Tucker should feel good about.

It is unbelievable that this is the same team that had high expectations going into training camp. The way they are playing, they should be called the Oakland Bears. The fact that there is no accountability with someone like Tucker is appalling.

We can only hope that Bears management feels it’s just too late in the season to make a move, and will make an overhaul (like firing Tucker) in the offseason.

If the Bears could get a high draft pick out of this, at least they would have accomplished something.

Check out this video below. It illustrates how ill-prepared the Bears were on defense. On this Jordy Nelson touchdown, The Bears were playing THREE different defensive schemes. One player was playing Cover-2, another was playing Man, and a third was playing regular Zone. Three different schemes on one play. Result? Easy touchdown.

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